full circle
by ChappiRuki
Summary: —Aizen's thoughts during the Quincy Arc and after.


He has an eternity, he thinks, as he is bound to the chair. A mere 20,000 years of a sentence means nothing to him, but he doesn't say that to the morons that make up the Central 46. To think that the Seireitei would still have enough incompetent judges to replace the ones he had killed.

(he thinks, the next time he amuses them with his escape, he'll kill all the incompetent morons.)

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Half a year comes and goes, and Aizen has been observing quietly from underground. He feels the captains and lieutenants gaining more power, faster than they ever would've during the past century that he has been a Captain. It's odd, he thinks, that they draw inspiration simply because Ichigo had defeated him and thus think that they could also ever reach Ichigo's level to defeat the likes of himself.

(how laughable, he thinks.)

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A year passes, and he feels a shift from his cage, an undermining current happening above him. Curious, for the first time in a long while, he determines who is leaving Soul Society, and among them, he finds Urahara's reiatsu at the 1st Division. Odd, he thinks, and wonders what the man who _temporarily_ (because he has formed dozens and dozens of plans in his boredom as to how to divert Urahara away from his plans of overtaking the Soul King) defeated him, is doing here.

A second later he feels every captain and lieutenant in Mayuri's lab, and Aizen guesses easily what is happening.

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Another five months pass and he feels the captains leave Soul Society, as he had expected. He nearly sighs in boredom at that thought, before smirking at the thought - he, who had set up the first meeting between Ichigo and Rukia so easily - if they will set the stage once again.

(he expects then, that something will happen right after.)

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It's a month later that he tastes a sharp explosive reiatsu in the air, and he smirks at the obviousness of it all, and at the addition of a power that the oddity has gained once again. Interest sparks within him yet again as he remembers the boy's mother. Of course, only someone like Ichigo could be a shinigami-hollow, Quincy, _and_ a Fullbringer. A grin sparks up.

(indirectly, he'd created a most interesting being that could possibly kill the Soul King and his son.)

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Immediately after the stage was set, he feels terror strike at Soul Society, and that it is the Quincies who want destruction to set the stage as he once did; except, the destruction is done very distastefully, he thinks disgustedly.

(but he is also right, he smirks, no matter how hard these captains train, they'd never reach the level needed to fight the likes of him.)

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He's not surprised when Yhwach comes up to him, though there is an irritation at being used by some all-powerful being who is so obviously afraid of death, a mere weakling who doesn't deserve any title or power of some sort, a fake king like his father. He prefers the chair over serving a puppet that is no different from the Soul King; like father, like son, both weaklings.

(he refuses the offer with disdain.

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besides, he muses, he knows Soul Society will want his help soon; that, he thinks, is more amusing than serving a coward, he'd done _that_ far too long.)

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He knows Kyoraku is here even before he senses the man's reiatsu, and the remaining keys left within him. He considers taking the keys from the man's heart and those on his plate to release himself, but decides that would be too boring.

(he could play this game, he smirks.)

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Somehow, it comes as a small surprise that the Central 46 could be even more stupid than he'd considered them to be, as if he _needed_ to kill Kyoraku to take the keys for himself. He was more powerful than these imbeciles could ever fathom, he muses. It is an insult that these fools would underestimate him to this extent.

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For anyone in the Seireitei to set aside the meaningless thing called pride and smartly consider all options, he considers Kyoraku a novelty. Perhaps, he could lend a bit to the Gotei 13 after all.

(he'd crush their pride for their reliance on him.

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they never fail to amuse him, he smirks, looking at all of the faces he had betrayed once again.)

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He feels Rukia try to stop him as he attempts to drag the Soul King's Palace to Soul Society and effectively crush Soul Society. He wonders what it is - the Ichigo Effect essentially - that makes her believe she could do it when her powers were nothing next to his.

(the odd thing called courage, he thinks, is beyond stupid, having seen it time and time again.)

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When he awakens again, Aizen feels the reiatsu of both the Quincy and Shinigami in one place, and that there is no distrust between them. Somehow, it doesn't surprise him, considering that the Vizards themselves banded with the Shinigami to take him down. Now it will be Hollow, Quincy, and Shinigami against Yhwach, he thinks. A most amusing outcome, what havoc could bring out of people, he thinks.

(there is a little bit of frustration that Ichigo, the man who'd defeated him, is also entering the Soul King's palace before he could attempt to destroy the Soul King.

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indeed, he has not forgiven him, for being a major wreck in his plans, something he thinks that Yhwach will learn soon as well.)

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He watches light rain down on Soul Society and impale those around him with disinterest.

(he's only interested in destroying the Soul King's flamboyant child.)

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When Yhwach enters Soul Society, he instantly recognizes that Yhwach has absorbed the Soul King as well. Aizen grins at the convenience.

( _kill two birds with one stone_.)

His hatred for the son intensifies as he recognizes the same arrogance he had when facing Ichigo, and that same denial. He does not want to be in any way similar to the Soul King's son. It's odd, he thinks, that not releasing his shikai in front of Ichigo will end up being useful (helpful, he thinks, will have to be determined after) to his purpose.

The binds release, and he sets the stage for the two men arriving to Soul Society.

(appropriate, he muses, as they'd also been the first ones who'd tried to take him down at the Sokyoku Hill.)

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He decides surprising the Soul King's son with his abilities is of great amusement, second to what would've been of more satisfaction had he done the same to the thing that had once ruled over him and the universe.

(the man he had cultivated since the day he had been born stabs the son from behind.

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the shattering noise sounds like music in his ears.)

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When Yhwach falls, he takes a clear look at Ichigo, the specimen that he had cultivated for so long, and he finds exactly what has always been there, and what he has always disdained for so long: courage, when it is of no use against a God such as himself; and yet, it was that very notion that he had been defeated. It is that same notion that Yhwach has been defeated.

He thinks about how he set up the meeting between Ichigo and Rukia, how that spun a tale of courage that he so despised, and that that is the very same thing that had helped him out at the very end.

(when Aizen feels Yhwach abruptly rise yet again, when he feels Yhwach's reiatsu die down again and the spike of Ichigo's reiatsu, he thinks he can understand a little bit of this 'courage'.)

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When Aizen awakens yet again, he finds himself bound to the chair yet again, having been struck immobile by Yhwach's reiatsu. That does not surprise or deter him, he thinks, considering that Mayuri and Urahara are both scientists who've already shown him little tricks.

He sits back and observes the universe above.

(he has all the time in the world now.)

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It's ten years, he thinks, and he finally feels Yhwach's reiatsu rise yet again in the midst of the celebration of Rukia becoming the Captain of the 13th division. He feels the Senkaimon open and Rukia rushing through it to undoubtedly visit Ichigo for the first time in a long time. Oddly enough, it is the same day that they collided into each other under his careful planning and watch, and Aizen lies in nostalgia for a brief moment.

He thinks about how when he set them up both, had known Ichigo would have the courage to protect and ultimately save her because of Rukia's show of self-sacrifice.

He thinks about he had _not_ known Rukia would gain the courage to live again and fight and have Ichigo's back covered at all costs; had not known Ichigo would then go all-out on every enemy in his way.

He most certainly had not thought Ichigo's outright insane resolve to defeat him would bring an onslaught of inspiration to everyone to become stronger, if they once again had to fight someone of his level.

(he had certainly never considered that he'd fight Yhwach with Ichigo.)

A cycle of courage, so it would seem, had affected even _him_.

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When Yhwach's reiatsu vanishes, he recalls Yhwach's words and his fear of death that drove him to this insanity. He thinks about how he is immortal, how because of that simple fact, he will never completely understand the concept of courage that comes from fearing and facing death, even if he's seen it so, _so_ many times, and most importantly, how it does not matter who God is, or the Soul King above them.

(mortals did not need God after all, just courage.

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he feels the two's reiatsu collide yet again for the first time in a long time, and silently wonders the next time they meet, if they will show them an entertaining show of bravery again on this level.)

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20,000 years, and everyone has forgotten how capable Aizen is. They forget because their arrogance that they could definitely defeat Aizen at any time considering the technology that they now have thanks to Mayuri and Urahara and other future scientists, blind them all to his power.

They are not wrong, Aizen thinks, but not quite right either.

The universe, as Aizen had observed from below and now, as he looks out below his gaze, has changed quite a bit. He looks beyond the gleamy surfaces of metal and millions of people and finds a certain reiatsu that he has been following for ages.

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Aizen sits at a nearby table outside and carefully watches the subject of his amusement, or his _former_ amusement, because right now, this dull, bored man who sits ahead of him, listening apathetically to the earbuds of his phone.

(briefly, he wonders if he should move with Plan B, that being he'd crash the two together again under the term "destiny"-)

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He hears her dainty high heels on the sidewalk before feeling her reiatsu, striding between the proper prim tables clothed with a white cloth and regal chairs. In her highly-esteemed white dress, sapphire earrings, and sunhat, she blends right into the setting, except, her left hand is in a cast, and she is _pissed_.

She passes his table and he watches her move directly in front of the orange-haired boy, before proceeding to sit herself down in front of him.

Aizen watches his mouth turn down into a scowl and how he is clearly not pleased with this sudden intruder that has interrupted his lunch time to himself and his music; but he spots the subtle light of life flash up in his eyes as he proceeds to argue with the very satisfied and smirking lady in front of him.

He hears the words of "fine", "I'll take your damn nutjob for a month only right?", "god, I _get_ it", and so on and so forth, and Aizen smirks.

(looks like, he doesn't have to _do_ anything this time, he taps his fingers against the table, and silently wonders what he'll do as the villain in this era this time.

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he has no doubt, that they will provide him an entertaining show of courage.)

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- _fin_ -

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a/n: because aizen's change of attitude needs some goddamn explanation. and he's definitely a secret supporter of ichiruki (cries). 'sides that, what job do you think ichigo took up? xD


End file.
